In this episode, Iraq slips closer toward civil war as the US occupation enters the fourth year of a mission that President George W Bush declared “accomplished” three years earlier. 

The U.S. is having trouble recruiting soldiers to staff the occupation, so the government hires nearly 200,000 military contractors to fill the recruitment gap. 

With their tours ending, Dustin, Evan, Paul and Nick consider their options in the private sector, and each decide to rejoin the fight as contractors for Erik Prince’s Blackwater Worldwide. 

Robert Ford, the second-in-command at the US Embassy in Iraq during this time, recalls that tensions grew to a fever pitch between Iraqi civilians.

And Mike and Gina look to define the word "mercenary".

FOR MORE:

LOS ANGELES TIMES
Contractors outnumber troops in Iraq (2007)
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jul-04-na-private4-story.html

INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS:
Geneva Conventions protocol relating to Mercenaries
https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/WebART/470-750057

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